What Was Your Most Grueling Year?

We did a post last week about a former associate at Sedgwick Detert Moran & Arnold who was suing the firm over his firing. Alan Levy said in his suit that he was fired upon returning from a seven-month medical leave after a breakdown prompted in part by working at a “ferocious pace” and billing 3,000 hours in the year prior.

That figure grabbed the imaginations—or realities—of readers who posted to the comments of that story. Some wondered if those who say they bill that much in a year are padding their timesheets. Others knew from personal experience that it could be done: “I believe it,” Kathleen wrote in the comments. “I once billed 2,876. It nearly killed me, but I did it.”

So what we want to ask you is: What has been your most grueling year since starting law school? Obviously, the number of hours billed is not the only possible metric. Was it a year you worked full time and went to law school with a family at home? Worked in spite of an illness? Had a difficult boss?

Posted by Bossy Woman: “In my experience it’s the clients’ expectations, which are often created outside of our relationship. For example, our move to electronic record retrieval and storage was in response to a client request. I’ve also found that management’s agenda isn’t always supported by purchasing. We created our own program, which delights the clients, and have reaped many side benefits in the long run.”